Shawnee boy, 9, undergoing chemotherapy for prostate cancer

A month ago, Trevor Storie was a typical 9-year-old boy who loved video games, watching cartoons and playing baseball and football. And like most kids, he was anxious for Christmas break.

Kim Morava

A month ago, Trevor Storie was a typical 9-year-old boy who loved video games, watching cartoons and playing baseball and football. And like most kids, he was anxious for Christmas break.

But what began with a stomachache turned into a life-changing event Dec. 14 and now the Shawnee-area third-grader is on a 42-week course of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with a rare form of prostate cancer.

Trevor has already lost his hair and is on his third week of treatment, but to cheer him on, supporters are using the theme, “Rock’em, Sock’em Trevor.”

Friday was his first day back to class at North Rock Creek School, where he had a typical day, including his favorite subject, math, along with plenty of homework for the weekend.

A bit tired after a full day, he was glad to be home Friday afternoon, where he talked about cartoons like Regular Show, Adventure Time and SpongeBob SquarePants.

He didn’t talk much about cancer or the beanie he now wears.

For his parents, Shane and Zona Storie, the diagnosis of cancer is still hard to imagine.

“It’s not right in a 9-year-old — it’s not right in any child,” his mother said, adding she’d do anything to help him and would even trade places with him.

Although diagnosed at Stage 3, Zona said doctors are hoping for 100 percent recovery for Trevor and his mother said she believes it.

“God’s taking care of him and he will recover — I have no doubt in my mind,” she said.

Zona said the doctors and staff of Children’s Hospital have been wonderful.

“They cry with you, they laugh with you, you feel like you’re family when you’re there,” she said. “All you want is for someone to tell you your kid is OK.”

Zona said Trevor had a stomachache on Dec. 13. As the evening and overnight hours progressed, she said Trevor kept saying he needed to go to the bathroom, but couldn’t.

The next morning they were at the emergency room in Shawnee, where doctors found a mass and discovered his bladder was huge, she said.

Trevor took a trip to Children’s Hospital by ambulance, where he had his bladder drained of nearly two liters of fluid so doctors could get a biopsy of the mass, which revealed cancer. The prostate diagnosis for such a young boy even amazed the doctors, Zona said.

“Prostate cancer in a 9-year-old doesn’t happen,” she said, adding the odds are less than two percent with about 350 such cases reported each year.

For Zona, who said her children are never sick, it was unimaginable.

“One minute your kid is perfectly fine…playing football,” she said, then things change in the blink of an eye.

“There were no signs of anything,” she added.

Trevor was in the hospital until Christmas, but was able to return home for the holidays.

And while the 9-year-old has been a trooper through all the procedures, he didn’t particularly like the catheter, which was expected to be in place for six weeks until treatments could shrink the tumor, his mother said.

Luckily for Trevor, he’s making good progress so the catheter was removed three weeks early, allowing him to return to school Friday.

“He loves school,” his mother said.

To make it through each day, Zona said they take the good with the bad and try to focus on the good.

“We try to find one good thing a day to be thankful for,” she said, adding they’re thankful for all the prayers and support.

As Trevor faces chemotherapy and radiation for the form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma, a benefit fund had been set up at Vision Bank to help Trevor and his family with the mounting medical bills and expenses not covered by insurance.

A fundraiser also is being planned for Monday, Jan. 13. Those who dine at Chili’s in Shawnee can tell servers they are there for Trevor and 15 percent of their sales will be donated by Chili’s to the Storie Family Medical Fund.

To help Trevor when the time comes for blood transfusions, the Oklahoma Blood Institute will hold a blood drive 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Shawnee Mall, in the former Eskimo Joe’s location. Another blood drive will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. there on Feb. 8.

For those who donate, blood bank credits will be added to Trevor’s name so when the time comes that he may need a transfusion, the blood will be donated to Trevor from those credits.

To further support Trevor and the family, the theme of “Rock’em, Sock’em” bracelets and T-shirts also are being planned for upcoming fundraisers.

For more about Trevor and the fundraising efforts, go to: https://www.facebook.com/rockemsockemtrevor